5 Things You Should Know About Shopping For Appliance Repair Parts

Ordering new parts in order to repair your appliance can seem like a simple exercise. You find the model number, engage in a quick online search, and purchase the product online.

But too often, that process results in a part that is either too expensive or not what you expected. To help you prevent the most common pitfalls connected to appliance repair parts, here are 5 things you should know about them.

1) Not Every Part is Created Equal

A dishwasher part is not the same for different brands, or even different models of the same brand. Purchasing a General Electric cooling unit will not necessarily work for all GE refrigerators. Knowing which exact part you need is the first, crucial step to making sure that you order the right part and successfully complete your repair project.

2) Knock Offs Can Be Costly

In your searches for the best possible part for your appliance, you may come across an off-brand that produces compatible parts for multiple brands. The price will be tempting, so you may decide to go with that one over the more costly brand-specific alternative.

That, however, can be a grievous error. Knock off repair parts may be cheaper initially, but are almost guaranteed to not work as well with your refrigerator, range, or dishwasher as the parts that were specifically designed for that model. As a result, you may actually damage your appliance, making your endeavor more costly in the long run.

3) Take Into Appliance Age Into Account

Especially if you have repaired some appliances yourself in the past, you know: the motor for a 20 year old dishwasher could look very different from that of a dishwasher you purchased last year. As appliances change, so do the individual parts that are manufactured for them.

Often, the change is more subtle than described above. If you don’t know exactly which parts to order, you may get one that looks identical but is actually different on the inside. Making sure that you are looking for the right part can save you both money and significant headaches in the future.

4) Compare Sources For Competitive Costs

Unless you go straight to the website of the brand of your appliance, you can use multiple websites to compare prices and find legitimate, high-quality bargains. For example, you may be able to find an identical part on Sears, Home Depot, and Lowe’s, but for various prices.

Comparing multiple sources should not be a mechanism for finding the cheapest possible option, which is a great way to run into the issue we described in Step #2. Instead, you should use it to make sure that the site from which you buy the part is not trying to charge more than its competitors.

5) Work With Professionals On The Repair

When in doubt, always engage professionals in your appliance repair and part ordering. They know the pitfalls you can encounter when searching for the right appliance repair parts, and can help you navigate them to find the best possible part for your appliance.

More importantly, a professional appliance repairperson will not only find the right part for you, but also install it in a way that will last you for a long time to come. As a result, you will be sure to fix the root problem causing your appliance’s issues instead of mere symptoms.

Appliance repair is often more complicated than you initially thought. To make sure you get it done right, and fix your appliance to the point where it will serve you reliably for years to come, contact us. We’d love to assist you in every step of the repair project, from diagnosing the problem to ordering and installing the right repair parts.